Workshops set on fish consumption

OLYMPIA - The Department of Ecology (Ecology) will hold public workshops on proposed changes to the state's fish consumption rates in May in Ellensburg, Tacoma and Spokane Valley.

Ecology proposes to amend existing regulatory tools to help entities work effectively toward meeting permit limits and toward controlling sources of pollutants.

Part of this effort includes updating the state's fish consumption rates, which help guide regulatory standards about how clean  Washington's waters and sediments must be.

The workshops will focus on fish consumption rates and how they connect with sediment cleanup decisions under the state's Sediment Management Standards. Here's the workshop schedule:

May 7 in Ellensburg - 8:30 a.m. to noon, Central Washington University, Student Union Ballroom.

May 8 in Tacoma- 8:30 a.m. to noon, University of Washington's Tacoma Campus, Keystone Building.

May 15 in Spokane Valley - 1 to 4:30 p.m., CenterPlace Regional Event Center.

      Since toxic chemicals are also found in fish and shellfish, Ecology is continuing to work on this problem by developing a more accurate view of how much fish and shellfish Washington residents eat.

      Washington currently uses two rates: 6.5 grams per day incorporated into water quality standards, and 54 grams per day, which is the Model Toxics Control Act default value used in setting sediment and water cleanup standards. The current rates were developed in the 1980s and 1990s.

      The best current science now indicates that the present fish consumption rates do not accurately reflect how much of the state's fish and shellfish Washingtonians actually eat. Some people consume a lot more fish and shellfish than the state's current rates reflect